Depictions of landscape are perhaps some of the most iconic works in British Art. According to Adrian Bury, ‘it is as national as the language itself, as much part of England as her contours and climate’.[1]This tradition is however also one of the most maligned and misunderstood genres. The over familiar reproductions of Constable’s work in such ghastly manifestations as Haywain jigsaws, tea towels and biscuit tins, conveys a twee image of nostalgic, bucolic charm. Whilst the ‘eternal brown cows in ditches’,which John Ruskin railed against, hang in countless collections in Britain’s provincial galleries.

25 years ago, a group of teenagers from Yellow House carried a procession of wooden crates from the Albert Dock to Bluecoat. Each crate held special cargo, a memento from countries dotting an invisible line around the globe. The line, drawn by artist Philip Courtenay, connected Liverpool and Hull.

As Liverpool city centre’s oldest building and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bluecoat will celebrate 300 years in 2017. But what are the origins of the Queen Anne style building which is now recognised as a leading centre for the contemporary arts?Sophie Jones, PhD Candidate in Early American History at the University of Liverpool, finds out.